A boy obsessed with 50s sci-fi movies about aliens has a recurring dream about a blueprint of some kind, which he draws for his inventor friend. With the help of a third kid, they follow it and build themselves a spaceship. Now what?
On another planet in the distant past, a Gelfling embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of a magical crystal, and so restore order to his world.
A 16-year-old girl is given 13 hours to solve a labyrinth and rescue her baby brother when her wish for him to be taken away is granted by the Goblin King.
A group of tenants in an apartment block are being forced to move out so that it can be demolished. The tenants are reluctant to move, so the developers hire a local gang to 'persuade' them to leave. Fortunately, visiting alien mechanical life-forms come to town. When they befriend the tenants, the aliens use their extraterrestrial abilities to defeat the developers.Written by
Rob Hartill
Originally intended to be a story featured in the TV series Amazing Stories (1985). Steven Spielberg liked the idea so much he decided to make it a theatrical release. See more »
Goofs
When Carlos is in the cellar, he swings an ax at a glass panel in the door, making one large white crack. In the next shot there are two white cracks in the glass. The cracks change between shots as well. See more »
Quotes
Mr. Kovacks:
Is this what you're talking about? It's full'o junk. It's a storage shed, you idiot.
Carlos:
No it's not. It's full of ghosts or spirits or something and they're just trying to make me look bad!
Mr. Kovacks:
You don't need ghosts for that.
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Crazy Credits
During the opening credits, pictures of young Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy are shown. This includes their actual wedding photo, since the actors (who often play a married couple on stage or in the movies) were married for decades. See more »
I must admit, I was a kid when this movie came out, but I never saw it as a kid. I watched it for the first time today--with 20 intervening years since the film came out. And I think that perspective shines a new light into this old chestnut.
If you'll look at the writing credits, you'll notice that the head writer is none other than one Brad Bird, who today works for Pixar. *Batteries Not Included might be sappy for a Spielberg flick, but it is right on target for Brad Bird. Rather than comparing it to E.T. or Cocoon, this movie is more properly compared to The Iron Giant and Toy Story--two movies that successfully bring out the humanity in inanimate objects.
If this movie came out in 2007 instead of 1987, you'd probably see a Pixar logo on the trailer. For now, just pretend it's computer animated and enjoy the show!
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I must admit, I was a kid when this movie came out, but I never saw it as a kid. I watched it for the first time today--with 20 intervening years since the film came out. And I think that perspective shines a new light into this old chestnut.
If you'll look at the writing credits, you'll notice that the head writer is none other than one Brad Bird, who today works for Pixar. *Batteries Not Included might be sappy for a Spielberg flick, but it is right on target for Brad Bird. Rather than comparing it to E.T. or Cocoon, this movie is more properly compared to The Iron Giant and Toy Story--two movies that successfully bring out the humanity in inanimate objects.
If this movie came out in 2007 instead of 1987, you'd probably see a Pixar logo on the trailer. For now, just pretend it's computer animated and enjoy the show!